Memories
by Solaris Reborn
Summary: they are a fickle thing, memories. there are those that you wish to forget, and those that you'll cherish forever. but the one thing that never changes... is that they don't fade. 2 OC's possible pairings
1. Prologue

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**Prologue: A Question**

"How long has it been? How many years have passed? That is the question that now freely roams my mind. But... in order to understand why that one question is so powerful, you will need to know what came before... I am Takashi Kageyama, and these are my memories...


	2. Illusions of Younger Days

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**Chapter 1: Illusions of Younger Days**

The land beneath my feet is burnt and scarred. The trees are blackened, the sky is grey, and misty. Glass shards litter the ground and crack beneath the weight of my body. Piles of mangled wood and shattered tatami mats serve as a memorial to a house that once stood. it is a barren wasteland that i now stand upon. but it wasn't always this bleak. This area was once Rukongai's market district. It was a bustling metropolitan society, with vendors at every street corner that sold all kinds of goods. It is my home, or at least it was... for a time. I was 17 at the time, and back then, I didn't have a care in the world. i used to help the shopkeepers by stocking their shelves with goods. Everything was perfect, that is until... they came.

I remember the day all too well. I was helping a local weapon's shop by bringing in a new shipment of swords, when i heard someone cry for help. I dropped the shipment and ran towards the scream. I turned down an alley, and it was then that i felt true fear for the first time. Standing just inches in front of me was a hollow. blood was dripping from it's teeth and it was standing over the body of the shop keeper that i was helping. At first, it didn't see me, so I turned and ran. It must have sensed my movement, because i heard it howl, and then i heard it chasing after me. All i remember thinking was "I don't want to die!".

I turned down another alley, trying to lose my pursuer, but in my haste, I tripped over something and fell flat on my face. I looked around to see what it was that i had tripped over, and found the body of a young girl, no more than 5 years of age, lying face-down in a pool of her own blood. As i looked upon this tragic example of how fragile life is, I couldn't turn away. In the distance, i could hear the hollow closing in. At this point, i didn't care. All i could think about was how pathetic my actions had been.

Then, my thoughts changed. I no longer felt fear, and therefore had no reason to run. I would turn and face my enemy, and if this was my last day, i wasn't going to go alone. The hollow turned into the alley and pounced at me. I leaped to the side and watched it dart past. But as it turned around, i felt more weight on the right side of my body. It was at this point that I realized that there was a Stick-Sword lodged firmly against my waist, sitting inside my belt. It was strange, because it hadn't been there before. It was by this time that the hollow had turned around.

It glared at me intently, while licking it's chops, and then it pounced again. It was this moment that i would never forget. As the hollow drew closer, I defiantly said "You shall perish this day, Hollow, not for your existence, but for your crimes against the living.". It was right in my face when i drew my sword. I ducked under it's strike and it flew straight into my sword's edge, cutting itself completely in two. As it faded into spirit particles, it roared in pain, to which i responded "Rest in peace, Hollow trash.".


	3. Grim Reality

hi guys brand new chapter, wow two in one day. please leave plenty of reviews and check out my profile for a link to my bleach character.

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**Chapter 2: Grim Reality**

Several hours later, i found myself on the edge of town, staring at my home as it burned to the ground. The hollow i had defeated was only one of many, and apparently, they had attacked from all sides. They killed and devoured anyone in their path, taking lives that they had no right to take. Infuriated, i drew my sword, ready to charge in and kill as many hollows as i could. But before i got the chance, the 13 court guard squad captains appeared and took over. One did stay behind to look after me. He had short, spiky white hair and sea green eyes. His haori had the kanji for 10 on the back. He asked me if i was alright, to which i responded "Yes". As he turned to leave, i asked what his name was, and he told me it was "Toushiro Histugaya".

Three weeks later, the last hollow was killed. The head captain apologized to me on behalf of the 13 captains, expressing his regret that they could not get there sooner. The apology did nothing to abate the anger that i felt in my heart. Apparently, the head captain, Genryusai Yamamoto, saw that i was still hurt, and so he offered to enroll me in the Soul Reaper Academy. He said that he understood the pain of feeling powerless, and explained that by becoming an Official Soul Reaper, i would gain the power necessary to protect the things i held dear. Needless to say, i accepted his offer.

For the next two years, i trained with teachers and students alike. i gained many friends along the way, and they helped to turn me into a gentle spirit by making me forget the pain of my past. Everything was normal until my third year, where it was discovered that i had an understanding and knowledge of Kido beyond anyone who had attended the Academy, teacher or student. it also turned out that i was the most intelligent Soul Reaper in my class. I even overheard one of my teachers say that he thought i might be just as intelligent as Sousuke Aizen! That year, i graduated at the top of my class, and that wasn't all. Not only did i graduate a year early, but i also attained my Zapakuto's Shikai.

Before i left the Academy grounds, one of the teachers asked to see my Shikai, to which i said only "Dageki, Byakurai!". There was a blinding flash, and when it cleared, there i stood. The stick-sword had vanished, and in it's place, innumerable electric sparks began to arc around my body. It turned out that my Zanpakuto was a Kido Type, and it was infused with the element of Lightning. The teacher said only that he believed that i would become an extremely powerful Kido Master, and having said that, we turned and parted ways. As i walked into the sunset, i stopped, sealed my Zanpakuto and, gave one last farewell to the people i had come to know at the Academy before flash-stepping away.


	4. Lieutenant of Squad 5

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**Chapter 3: Lieutenant of Squad 5**

It was only a few days after my graduation when I received a request from one of the captains to attend a private meeting. The strange thing was that the messenger didn't tell me who it was that wanted to talk to me, and when I asked, he said "you'll find out soon enough." I realized that this could be my chance to prove that I could do something, that I wasn't powerless. So I flash-stepped to the entrance to the residential suites of the 13 captains, and waiting there at the entrance, was none other than Sousuke Aizen! He came toward me and shook my hand, saying that he appreciated that I had the presence of mind to accept his request. He led me into his house, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed.

After he led me to his personal study, we sat down and enjoyed a few cups of green tea. He finally explained that the reason he called me here was because he had heard tales of my talent while on a routine visit to the Academy, and he wanted to see how the stories compared to reality. When he asked to see my skills in action, I eagerly accepted. His first test for me was a riddle, and it went like this_; You are a traveler, walking down a road leading to a fork. Your destination is a city of truth-tellers, where goods always sell for a decent price. But the problem is, there is a city of liars right next to it, and you don't remember which direction, left or right, leads to each city. When you reach the fork, there is a man standing there that says he lives in one of the cities. He also says that he will answer one question, or fulfill one task. What do you ask him?_

I thought for a second or two, trying to decipher the answer to the riddle. Then, it hit me. I told Aizen that I would ask the man to take me to his own village. When he smiled at me, I knew I had answered the riddle correctly. His next task for me was simple; I was to cast a Kido without the incantation. It was simple enough for me, but I thought that should surprise him a little. "Hado 4: Byakurai!" I yelled as a thin stream of lightning sailed across the sky. As I heard Aizen clapping behind me, I turned to face him and yelled "Hado 90: KuroHitsugi!". At first, nothing happened. Then, a huge black box of pure energy materialized in the space between me and Captain Aizen. When it faded, I was surprised to see a slight look of shock plastered on his face.

He soon regained his composure and asked me a question that would never fade from my mind. He asked me to be his Lieutenant in the 13 Court Guard Squads. When he offered me his hand, I gripped it as firmly as I could. He must have sensed that it was my way of saying that I had accepted his offer, because he said "I could not have picked a better candidate for the job.". He told me to get some rest, because tomorrow, I was to report to him as Lieutenant Takashi Kageyama. As i left for my home, I turned to him and said "I won't let you down, Captain Aizen!"


	5. Birth of Raioh

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**Chapter 4: Birth of Raioh**

Raioh. That is the name of the evil apparition that to this very day still roams my mind. He is a tyrant in every sense of the word, a sick and twisted old king hell-bent on gaining power. I suppose I should explain how he came to be. It was 6 years ago... I had been a lieutenant under Sousuke Aizen for quite some time, and had grown to see him as a surrogate father. He was hard on me, training me to my limits and beyond, but he never stopped encouraging me. We took trips to the human world from time to time, as a way of relieving the stress of training. He was the only one who seemed to understand me, and accept me for who I was, not what I was. At the end of that year, Aizen unexpectedly called me to meet him at Soukyoku hill, claiming he had an urgent matter to discuss with me.

When I arrived, I noticed a change in him. His body gave off a vibe of seriousness that I had never seen before. I remember asking him what was wrong, but he didn't respond. He just stood, back turned toward me, and stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity. When he did finally turn to face me, there was a look of intense sadness stapled on his face. I even saw a tear roll down his cheek, only to impact the cracked, unforgiving ground. He said he was sorry. When I asked him what he was sorry for, he responded by releasing his Zanpakuto, his voice quivering with remorse as he called to it.

His sword started to glow with a luminescent light, and after a few moments, it shattered. There was a bright flash of light, so intense that my eyes began to water merely by looking at it. I immediately closed my eyes, hoping to numb the pain. After several seconds, the pain began to fade away. but it was immediately replaced by an intense heat, one that seemed to be all around me. When I opened my eyes, hoping to find out what was going on, I immediately wished that I had not. I saw my home, not ten feet in front of me, burning, just as it had on that day, 13 years ago. I tried to run, tried to escape from that horrible nightmare. But I found that my legs were frozen in place. A little girl rushed past me, screaming, with streams of tears cascading behind her.

I turned to watch her, as she slowly shrank into the distant flaming alleyways. Just seconds later, a low growl caught my attention, and I pivoted, only to come face to face with the very same hollow that I had killed on that day. It pounced towards me, licking his chops all the while. When I went to draw my sword, I was horrified to find that it wasn't there. So there I stood, waiting for the end to come. But the impact never came. Instead, the hollow simply passed through me, and began running after the little girl. I willed myself to move, and was surprised to find that I could. I ran as hard as I could, hoping that I might be able to save that girl. But as I turned into another burning alley, a shriek reached my ears, which was soon followed by a loud roar. I turned again, just in time to see the girl being vaporized by the hollow's Cero. The only thing that remained was a locket, burnt and charred. As I picked it up, it opened, revealing a picture of a man, his wife and the girl.

My heart became filled with sorrow, as I knew that this girl had probably lost her family that day. Hot tears began to flow from my eyes, refusing to stop even after my vision faded away. I was left in a pit of darkness, lost, alone, and forgotten. The ground beneath my feet became saturated with my tears, as I realized that, if it were to happen again, I would be just as powerless as I had been back then, unable to save anyone. I cried out in anguish, and collapsed soon after, my energy spent, my will to endure fading. Then, the environment changed again, turning into the barren wasteland that was once my home. As heavy fog began to set in, a voice called out to me, telling me to stand. My body did so out of fear, for the voice was gruff and weak, and yet... had an air of menace in it's voice that I had never encountered before. The fog faded in an instant, and in it's place stood an old man, just inches in front of me. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, with wrinkles falling all around them. His back was hunched, and his hands, while resting on an old oak staff, were not pictures of health. His skin was a sickly dark green, and his bony fingers were lined with warts. His nails were long and jagged, and had turned yellow, much to my disgust. He still had a full head of hair, but it was long and unkept, just like his beard, with strands bristling in opposite directions.

Then, the man introduced himself as Raioh, or Lightning King. Then, he asked me one simple question; for what purpose do you fight?

I told him that I fought to gain power, in order to protect those precious to me, and for some reason, he smiled. Then, he held out his hand, which I firmly gripped. After a few moments, he spoke again, saying that if that was my true wish, I would gain the power I so desperately needed. His final words were; you will be quite useful. Just as I was about to ask what he meant, there was another bright flash of light, and when it faded, I was back at Soukyoku hill. Aizen stood a few feet away, wiping away the look of concern on his face. He asked me what had happened, and so I told him of my experience. At the end of my tale, he embraced me, as if I had been a long-lost son that had finally returned to him. He told me that he had been ordered to test my power by the central 46 members, and that if I was to be killed if I failed. We soon composed ourselves and, with my test completed, we returned to our homes.


End file.
